
Courtesy of Cinemax
It’s time for one final ride as the Strike Back boys dodge a kill team in the hopes of surviving to the end of the series.
Let’s bitch it out…
You didn’t really think either of them would die, did you? No, the series finale of Strike Back proves to be a solidly representative example of the show doing what it does best: Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton kicking butt, cracking jokes and surviving against all odds.
With Locke’s death last week and Section 20 disavowed, the finale basically has no real stakes outside of survival. With the helicopter downed, Scott and Stonebridge basically spend the 50 minutes dodging and battling a platoon of men led by Faber (Dustin Clare, still trying to rock that terrible accent). Along the way there’s some closure-seeking dialogue about retiring from a life of service, the mutilation and presumed murder of an innocent Austrian and multiple stand-offs, including a truly spectacular set piece set atop a dam. We also get to see the boys ride a motorcycle and sidecar (which always make me think of Indiana Jones) and battle their way out of several compromising situations while coping with various injuries ranging from wince-inducing (Stonebridge’s knife through the hand) to potentially fatal (Scott’s gunshot to the abdomen).
All in all, it’s a very solid hour of a series that was often much better than it needed to be, even when it was being nothing more than a silly action series. Adieu Strike Back and thanks for the memories!

Courtesy of Cinemax
Other Observations:
- I had problems with the way that the boys leave Oskar (Wolf Kahler). Surely they must have known that if they were being hunted, the old Austrian man would likely be discovered, tortured and killed.
- Also: at certain points Okar looks disarmingly like Jon Slattery and that proved surprisingly distracting.
- Between the jump off the dam and the fight in the river, Scott spends a fairly substantial of what looks to be really cold water. You can see their breath when Michael pulls him out post-fight!
- I did not care for the return of bland Christy Bryant (Stephanie Vogt) at the safe house, though her presence allows the series one last bit of inappropriately timed sex.
- Faber never really amounted to much outside of his self-centered attempt to grab Shiro back in 4×03 so it shouldn’t be satisfying to see Stonebridge coldly take him out in the climax of the series. And yet there’s something particularly cheer worthy when we see Faber’s body on the ground.
- I like that Strike Back attempts to execute not one, but two fake-outs suggesting that Scott has died. As though a simple bullet wound or fire fight would take him out. Ha!
- With the end of Strike Back and the looming end of Cinemax’s other action series icon, Banshee, the quality of fight scenes on the small screen is about to take a substantial hit. Thank goodness we still have Arrow. Don’t even talk to me about Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Finally, there’s a brief mention of traveling to Las Vegas near the end of the episode. Considering that Vegas is where Winchester’s new NBC series The Player is set, this seems like a fun little inside joke (even though I doubt it is intended as such considering these episodes were likely filmed long before production on The Player began).
Best Lines:
- Oskar (when Stonebridge offers him his watch): “I live in Switzerland. I’m surrounded by watches.”
- Faber (after Oskar informs him he’s Austrian, not German): “Well pardon me to hell, you just ruined my joke.”
- Stonebridge: “You know statistically most battlefield deaths occur within ten minutes?” Scott: “Why are you telling me that?” Stonebridge: “To distract you.” <Lights the gunpowder to cauterize Scott’s wound>
- Scott (when Faber wonders why they’re laughing at his demand for $2 million): “Yeah, pretty much everything you just said.”
- Stonebridge (shooting him in the back): “Hey Faber, we were never that good.”
Your turn: what did you think of the finale? Would you be up for further Striker Back adventures? Were you glad to see Christy again after last year’s Vengeance? Did Faber’s death make you feel warm and fuzzy? Sound off below.
Strike Back has finished airing its last episode. There are rumours/talks of a feature film adaptation, though nothing is confirmed.